Thermostat and steam-trap.



PATENTED AUG. 13, 1907.

J. MGP. HORNER. THERMOS'TAT AND STEAM TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 2, 1906.

[NI/ENTOR W/Yl VESSHS:

Alfomey JOHN McF. HORNER, OF GLENFIELD, PENNSYLVANIA.

THERMOSTAT AND STEAM-TRAI.

Specification ,of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 13, 1907.

Application filed October 2, 1906. SerialNo. 337,108.

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that I, JOHN MCF. HORNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Glenfield, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered new and useful Improvements in Thermostats and Steam-Traps, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to thermostats and steam traps, and its object is primarily to providemeans whereby the valve therein will closepractically instantaneously when the thermostatic tube has been heated to a predetermined temperature. When the valve closes gradually as the thermostatic tube expands, the flame at the burner, of course, gets gradually shorter and shorter and finally before the gas is entirely out off, the flame flashes back to the mixing chamber of the burner. To prevent this flashing back of the flame is one of the objects of the present invention.

Other objects will appear in the detailed description thereof.

Referring to the drawings which form a part of the specification and which illustrate onlyone of the many forms which my invention may assume, Figure 1 is a section through the casing and valve showing the parts as they are when the valve is open, and Fig. 2, a detail of the means for adjusting the release of the tripping device.

In the drawings, 1 represents the base of the casing and 2, the cover or body thereof.

3 is the valve having its stem 4 guided in the bridge 5 which is in the valve casing and in the bridge 6 which is a part of the base 1.

7 is the receptacle which (fontains the fluid governing the expansion and contraction of the thermostatic tube 8 seated therein and secured to the base 1. The tube 7 may be merely a tube or a large tank according to the use to which it is desired to put the thermostat. The tube 8 contains the usual rod 9 which extends into the casing 2. I

The valve-stem 4 hasqithinjthe casing 2 the collar 10, on whose outer or upper face rests'the outer end of i the first-class lever 11 working on the pin 12. l3 is a first-class lever pivoted on the pin 14 and having the set-screw 15 adapted to bear on the end of the rod 9. 16 is a first-class lever mounted on thepivot l7 and bearing on the under sides of the'inner ends of the levers 11 and 13. It will be noticed that the lever 13 bears down on I the lever 16 very close to the latters pivot, and that the level 16 bears up against the lever 11 very close to its pivot, the result being that a very slight movement of the tube 8 will produce or permit a large travel of the valve 3. The spring 18 which encircles the stem 4 and is seated between the bridge 5 and the valve 3 tends to close thevalve and will close it when the tube 8 shall have been sufiiciently expanded.

In order to cause the instantaneous closure of the manner so as to move the valve 3 from its seat.

valve, 1 have provided the trip or trigger 19 pivoted on the pin 20 and having the arm 21 which is secured to a projection of the lever 16 by the spring 22; the arm 23 provided with the hook 24 on which the inner end 7 of the lever 11 rests when the valve is open; and the arm 25 which is arranged in line with the. lower end of theadjusting-screw 26. This screw passes through the upper end of the link 27, whose lower end is pivotally secured to the end of the lever 16 nearest the lever 11. The screw 26 is caused to rotate by means of the rotatable rod 28 secured in the extension 29 of the casing 2. The rod 28 is packed from the interior of the casing and has no longitudinal movement. It is covered by the cap 30 which may be removed so that a screwdriver or other tool may be applied to the end of the rod 28 to cause its rotation. In order that the screw may travel longitudinally without becoming disconnected from the rod 28, I have provided the screw with a cross-pin '31 which travels in the slots 32 (only one shown) in the said rod. 33 is a spring bearing up against the end of the lever 16 nearest the lever 13.

Gas enters by the opening 34 in the valve chamber and passes out of the casing 2 through the outlet 35.

The liquid which controls the tube 8 may be supposed to enter the lower end of the tube 7 and pass out therefrom through the opening 36. Supposing the valve to be closed and the lever 11 to be disengaged from the hook 24, the valve would be opened by the contraction of the usual tube S-Which would cause the rod 9 to press up against the set-screw 15. The pressure on the screw 15 rocks the levers in an evident When the valve has been opened to a predetermined extent, the inner end of the lever 11, which has been riding up on the inclined face of the book 24, will pass above the latter, which under the action of the spring 22, will immediately place itself under the said end of the lever, locking it, as shown in Fig. 1, so as to hold the valve open. .When the liquid in the tube or reservoir 7 becomes sufiiciently hot, the expansion of the tube 8 will permit the spring 33 to move the lever 16 in a reverse direction. This movement of the lever 16 will cause the link 27 to be lowered, carrying with it the screw 26 which will engage the arm 25 of the trip or trigger 19 and cause the withdrawal of the hook 24 from beneath the end of the lever 11. The valve 3 will instantly close, causing the extinguishment of the gas at the burner.

In case it be desired to use the invention as a steam trap, for example, by using the pipe 7 as the terminal of a steam-heating system, this may be done by turning the valve 36 so that its passage 37 will register with the passage 38 connecting the tube 7 with the interior of the casing 2. In this case it might be necessary toclose the openings 35 and 36. The temperature of the condensed-steam in .thetube 7 controls the tube 8 and the other parts of the thermostat just as when the latter is used to control the flow of gas. The water of condensation passes through the passages 37 and 38, the casing 2, and thence past the valve 3 and out through the opening 34.

I claim 1. In a thermostatic device, a valve, an expansive device, leve1 mechanism to transmit motion from the said device to the valve to open the latter, a trigger controlled by said expansive device to hold the valve open, and means also controlled by said device for releasing the trigger.

2. 'In a thermostatic device, a valve, an expansive device, a lever mechanism to transmit motion from the said device to the valve to open the same, means for closing the valve, a trigger to hold the valve open, and adjustable means controlled by the said device for releasing the trigger. v a

3. In a thermostatic. device, a casing, a valve, an expansive device, a lever mechanism to transmit motion from the said device to the valve, means for closing the valve, a trigger automatically engageahle with the lever mechanism to hold the valve open, and a screw secured to the lever mechanism, and engageable with said trigger to release the s ame.

4. In a thermostatic device, a casing, a valve, an expansive device, a lever mechanism to' transmit motion from the said device to the valve, means for closing the valve. a trigger automatically engageable with the lever mechanism to hold the valve open, a screw secured to the lever mechanism and engageable with said trigger to release thesame, and means operable from the exterior of the casing for adjusting the screw.

5. In a thermostatic device, a thermostatic expansive JOHN MICF. HORNER.

Witnesses:

F. N. BARBER, C. E. Eeerms. 

